


Don't Ask Me Questions

by mkmrkp



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Brian Schechter - Freeform, Danger Days!Gerard, Explicit Sexual Content, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mikey Way - Freeform, Mutual Pining, Pining, Rating May Change, Ray Toro - Freeform, Revenge!Frank, Revenge!Mikey - Freeform, Sexual Content, accountant, camboy, frank iero - Freeform, gerard way - Freeform, not really an accountant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:27:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26580622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mkmrkp/pseuds/mkmrkp
Summary: Frank has been roommates with Mikey for over a year and has been friends with him for the past two, yet has never met his older brother, Gerard. After struggling to keep up with his rent payments, Frank resorts to having Gerard help him out, and the only thing he knows about him is that he works three jobs: a freelance artists, an employee at an antique store, and apparently, and "accountant."
Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Comments: 18
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this new fic! I am suuuuper excited for it, and can't wait for you all to read it!
> 
> As always, share, leave comments/feedback, and maybe a kudos if you're feeling generous! 
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -xox

Mikey whipped his head around to stare at the light that shone from the hallway. He had heard the door slam shut, alerting his roommate’s arrival back home. With a quiet sigh, he closed his comic book and set it gently on the coach cushion beside him before wrapping his arms around his torso.

Frank slung into the living room on the shared apartment, his back hunched and his face showing the clear state of exhaustion he was in. He dropped his book bag on the ground with a ‘thud’ before rubbing his eyes in an attempt to gain some sort of second wind that would allow him to stay up long enough to greet his roommate on the couch.

Frank’s eyes drifted towards the clock on the wall, which read 2:17 am. In response, the short man groaned and started trudging toward Mikey, who was still seated quietly. Frank had started his shift at the local grocery store at 2 pm. He absolutely dreaded his all-day shifts—especially ones that started at 2 o’clock. Not only do they rob you of your entire day, but they also force you to sit in one of the closest places to limbo that exists on earth for hours on end, with nothing to really do except restock items, listen to the constant buzzing of florescent lights, and show a plethora of old people where the new Depends aisle is.

Mikey stretched his arms out towards his roommate, who promptly collapsed in them. His eyes immediately went shut and the two sat in silence, the only sound in the apartment being the whisper of voices on the quiet television and the faint swishing of the washing machine. Mikey looked down at Frank’s small figure and reached for the back of the couch, pulling a blanket over him.

“Rough day?” He asked in a half whisper, watching as Frank scrunched his face slightly and nodded his head.

“Yeah…you know how all-day’s kill me. They’re absolute ass.” He waved a hand up at Mikey dismissively as he buried his face into the cushions of the now shared couch, pulling the blanket up to his chin.

“You should really get some rest, then.” Mikey suggested. He stood up from the couch with a groan as he stretched out, his joints making loud popping noises here and there. He half expected to hear Frank blurt out some unfunny joke about him being an old man with geriatric arthritis, but the kid looked completely burned out, so he knew that that would not be happening. He took the tv remote and watched as the pictures fizzled away from the screen, now leaving the room completely dark except for the faint glow leaking in from the hallway light.

“Frank, man, I know you are tired, but you should at least take your work clothes off first. You’re going to be pissed when you wake up in the morning.” He suggested as he started towards his bedroom, giving Frank a look over his shoulder.

Frank only huffed slightly and shifted in his position on the coach. “I’ll be fine, Mikes. Future Frankie will understand that I am absolutely beat.”

Mikey simply rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he muttered under his breath: “But he won’t be as understanding with me.” He pinched at the bridge of his nose lightly before flicking off the hallway light, now leaving the apartment pitch black. “Goodnight, dude. Get some sleep.”

He listened as Frank mumbled some unintelligible response and decided it was good enough before retreating into his room. He quickly moved over to his bed and climbed under the covers, letting out a comfortable sigh as he got ready to sleep. Frank never asked Mikey to stay up and wait for him to come home from his late shifts like this, but Mikey always seemed to be up whenever he walked through the door. Although this was almost never intentional, Mikey did feel a sense of security knowing that Frank was back home and safe rather than falling asleep at the wheel or being held hostage in a produce aisle.

Frank woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee and bacon flooding into the living room. He sat up on the coach and squinted his eyes, the bright sun leaking in through the windows and directly onto his face. His eyes trained down to stare at his body, still clad in his work uniform. His face turned up into a disgusted grimace, muttering quietly to himself before deciding he should go in and see Mikey.

As Frank peeled away from the couch and made his way into the small kitchenette, he heard Mikey talking quietly on the phone. There was a slight urgency in his voice, his words whispered and spoken quickly.

“Gee—” He began, raking a hand through his messy hair as he balanced the phone between his ear and shoulder. “Can’t you like, just, flag him down, or something? You’re your own boss, it’s not like . . . _Gerard_ —”

Frank bit his lip as he continued to watch Mikey just from the corner of the hallway, mostly out of sight. Ah, yes—the all-elusive Gerard. Mikey’s older brother who was always been mentioned, but never seen nor heard. Frank and Mikey had been roommates for over a year now and had known each other for two, but anytime Frank would inquire anything about the sibling, Mikey would simply brush it off and try to change the subject.

Frank always found it extremely odd how Mikey hid that side of him from Frank, considering how close the two were. It seemed that nothing was off limits between the two, and honestly, Mikey may have been the only person that Frank felt he could be his fully genuine self with. It sort of rubbed him the wrong way that Mikey was so open about everything else pertaining to his life, except for Gerard. Hell, he only really knew a handful of things about him: He was an accountant, he did art on the side, and also worked at the small antique store across town.

With a grieving sigh, Mikey poked at the strips of bacon sizzling in the pan on the stove. “It’ll be fine. I’m sure it will all work out. Stay safe man, call me if you need anything.” There was a slight pause before he chuckled. “Yeah, alright. I love you too. Bye.”

“You should’ve told me to take my uniform off last night.” Frank’s voice boomed, now fully entering the kitchen. Mikey jumped and flung a bit of bacon grease on the wall, letting out a loud yelp before shaking his head.

“Well, good morning to you too, princess. Sleep well?”

Frank shrugged, sitting down in one of the chairs at the small table. “I was sleeping just fine until I smelled the sweet sweet smell of cooking flesh.” He pointed a finger at the pan containing the bacon, causing Mikey to snicker.

“You’re just jealous because you never get to eat anything as delicious as this.” He retorted, placing a few strips of bacon on a plate before walking over to the table with a cup of coffee and sitting down, passing the cup over in Frank’s direction. He narrowed his eyes at him, but still ultimately accepting it.

“Animals are our friends, not our food.”

“Of course! Our delectable, savory, and . . . delicious friends.” Mikey smiled devilishly as he took a bite of his bacon, causing Frank to scoff and shake his head. He honestly didn’t care what the fuck Mikey ate, he just liked pushing his buttons.

The two sat in a comfortable silence as both slowly began to fully wake up. Frank drained two cups of coffee and a bowl of cereal as Mikey flipped through the same comic book he had left on the couch the night before, humming unconsciously.

Frank scratched the back of his unkept hair before standing up and stretching, letting out an exaggerated groan. Mikey peered over the top of his comic book, offering him a raised eyebrow. He offered him a cheeky smile before looking around. “Alright, I’m going to take a shower.”

Mikey’s face contorted into a sort of frown, gnawing on his lip slightly as Frank started to walk toward the bathroom. “Uh, Frank, actually. . .we need to talk for a second.”

Frank’s head whipped back around to stare at Mikey, worry immediately flooding his body. He slowly moved back to the kitchen table and sat down, his movements obviously warry. “Are you kicking me out?”

“What? I—no! No, that’s not it at all,” Mikey started, shaking his head. Frank relaxed slightly in the chair, nodding as he peered at his lap before looking back at his roommate. “Well, what is it then?”

Mikey looked around uncomfortably, raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck. Frank already had an idea of what he was about to bring up, so he just put his face in his hands and sighed. “It’s about the rent, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” The silence that was once comfortable between the two shifts to an unbearably awkward atmosphere. Mikey hated confrontation, and Frank hated people being annoyed with him—the two were a match made in anxiety-heaven. “Frankie, what’s the matter? This has been going on for four months now. I get that you’re helping your dad out, but you didn’t pay _any_ of your half this month?”

Frank felt his heartbeat leap in his chest, his throat immediately tightening. He felt guilty as shit right now—he never wanted to be _that_ kind of roommate who was the source of all the financial stress. And—fuck, now his eyes were watering. This is great. Perfect.

“I haven’t been, y’know, getting a lot of gigs recently and they…fuck—” he croaked at, wiping at the tears that were slipping from the corners of his eyes. “They cut my wage at the store and—”

“Wait, they cut your wage?” Mikey interjected, his eyes widening as he stared at Frank. Frank rose his eyes off of the ground to look at him, nodding softly. “Jesus, Frank—”

He crossed over to offer Frank a gentle embrace, letting him cling onto him and cry softly. Frank hated feeling so small. He hated asking for help, even when he needed it. It felt too much like giving up for him to be comfortable with it. Mikey pulled away, holding onto Frank’s shoulders. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Frank shrugged, wiping at his nose with the sleeve of his undershirt.

“I thought I’d be able to handle it…” He whispered quietly, hanging his head down. He realized that it was a stupid idea, but in the moment, it seemed perfectly logical.

“Okay, well…let me think here,” Mikey stood up and started to pace around the kitchen. It seemed like an eternity to Frank as he watched him walk back and forth, biting at his nails and picking at his hair.

“Mikey, please just say something.”

“Okay, okay, how about…how about I have Gerard help you?” He offered, stopping and looking at Frank. Frank widened his eyes and shook his head furiously.

“No way, man. I can’t just start taking the dude’s money. I’ve never even met the guy!” Frank squawked, standing up and walking over to the taller man. Mikey stopped him by placing his hands back on his shoulders.

“Frank, I know this hard for you. I know you, man. But it’s okay to get a little bit of help, I promise. Just—go, take a shower, think about it, and when you come out, if you are on board,” he huffed, his gaze shifting to his feet before looking back at Frank. “We’ll go to the antique store and you can meet him. He’s working there today.”

Frank fought him on it a little bit more before giving in and retreating to the bathroom. He turned on the steaming stream of the shower before slowly peeling off his clothes and stepping in under the water.

He had to weigh out the pros and cons of Mikey’s offer. The cons were that he would actually have be comfortable asking for help, which he wasn’t sure he was prepared for yet. Money is such a touchy subject, especially when it comes to owing it to someone. Frank had always been the one to help out in his life; he never needed the help of others. He had been the reason his dad was able to keep his apartment, he helped pay for a good it of his education, and honestly, he was happy with it that way. By asking Gerard to help him out with rent, not only would he feel like he was giving in, but he would also feel like an absolute leach to a man he has never interacted with in his entire life.

The pros were that he, most likely, would never have to worry about being late on a rent payment again, which would be a great relief to both him and Mikey so that their landlord would hate them just a little less. From what his roommate had told him, Gerard was pretty well off with his money. And Frank would hope so—the poor bastard worked three jobs, and he wasn’t even sure what one of them entailed. He no fucking clue as to what an accountant was, but it sounded way too boring and official to not pay well. If he could just throw around $500 a month, Frank might as well just be a little fly on the wall.

He shut off the water, letting his wet hair drip as he let his thoughts fester for just a few minutes more. Yeah, this might as well happen at this point in his life.

He quickly toweled off and secured the garment around his waist before walking into the living room where Mikey sat patiently with his glasses balanced on the tip of his nose and his eyes glued on the tv. He turned is attention to Frank and crossed his arms over his chest, offering him a questioning eyebrow.

Frank leaned against the wall, sighing before nodding his head. “Let’s go meet my new sugar daddy.”

Mikey’s cheeks immediately heated up as his eyes turned into the size of saucers, causing Frank to laugh. “God! Just—go put some clothes on, weirdo. And _please_ don’t refer to him as your sugar daddy.”

Frank chuckled a little more, running a finger up and down the wall as he began to saunter back off to his room. “Alright…but I don’t know what you would call a man who pays for my shit without any questions and just the request to see my beautiful face!”

Mikey groaned and put his head in his hands.

Was this a bad idea? Maybe. But, it might as well happen now.


	2. Chapter 2

The cool breeze of October air nipped at the cheeks of the two boys as they exited the train. Today was a particularly cold day, so both Mikey and Frank were bundled up in heavy jackets, scarves, and gloves that had the finger tips snipped off of them. The pair decided to grab some coffee for themselves and the older sibling before trudging 5 more blocks to the antique store.

Upon entering, they were hit with the smell of old books and musty belongings. The lighting was warm: a stark contrast to the florescent lights that burned Frank’s eyes every day he works. They were greeted with the jingling of a small bell attached to the top of the door frame, alerting the staff whenever new customers walked in. The atmosphere was cozy—just what they needed on a cold day such as this.

Mikey let a little huff of air out, grinning as he made his way to the elder gentleman at the front desk. He tapped gently on the wooden piece, causing the man to look up and offer Mikey a wrinkled smile.

“How nice it is to see you again, boy!” His uneven, yet endearing voice came out. “Looking for Gerry?”

Frank snickered at that. He had heard Mikey complain multiple times about the stupid nickname for his brother. Everyone they came across agreed that it didn’t fit him well at all, and that it overall made him sound like and overtly conservative trucker that would stare at you as you took a piss at a rest stop. But, Mikey simply nodded his head, lifting the cup of coffee as if that explained his presence.

The elder man let out a “ah” of recognition before pointing a shaking finger in the general direction of a spiraled staircase labeled ‘records.” Mikey offered him a quiet ‘thank you’ before both men headed up the stairs.

“Now, Frank, I’m just going to warn you that Gee is a little different than most of our friends. Not bad or weird, just…different.” Mikey gave him a steady look as they climbed the stairs and entered a cramped space that had records covering every surface, top to bottom. Frank raised his eyebrow at him.

“Mikes, I’m sure he is fine. You’re making him sound like he’s a—” Frank’s voice faltered as it was interrupted by a loud squeal and the sound of shoes stomping toward the two.

“MIKEY!” Gerard said as he almost tackled him brother in a bear hug, causing the younger to stumble back and catch his balance on the edge of a crowded table.

“Jesus, dude! You almost made me spill your coffee!” He exclaimed as Gerard pulled away, beaming at him. He happily took the cup from Mikey and immediately started sipping on it as Frank stared.

Frank had seen approximately maybe 5 pictures of Gerard in the time he has known Mikey, none of which were recent. Two were from when they were little kids, and the other three were from their teenage years. He took a long time to drink in his flaming red hair that sat atop of his head in a messy mop, strands sticking out to either side in a careless manor. He had an oversized, crème-colored turtle neck that hung off his body just slightly which tucked into dark brown plaid pants and a pair of Mary Jane shoes to match. Gerard peered over the top of his cup for his eyes to immediately lock with Frank’s. He quickly choked back on his coffee, covering his mouth for a slight second before extending his hand.

“I’m so sorry, you must be Frank!” Gerard said, more shyly than he had been with Mikey just seconds prior. His smile was small and the apples of his cheeks were pink, just like he had been outside to experience the cold wind with the pair. Frank accepted his hand and gently shook it.

“Yeah, that’s me.” He laughed awkwardly, immediately shoving his hand in his pocket. Gerard watched him and gave him a curious look, leaning against the wall slightly as he watched the younger boy shuffle in his place.

“Well, I guess it’s about time that I’ve met you, especially now that you’re my sugar baby, of sorts.” He purred, biting his lip devilishly.

Now it was Frank’s turn to choke on his coffee.

He started coughing wildly and shaking his head, looking over at Mikey helplessly, who just groaned in response. “You two are _so_ weird.”

Gerard offered him a toothy grin as he giggled to himself, patting a hand gently on Frank’s back. “I was just kidding. No need to get all worked up. C’mon, let’s go to the breakroom.”

The two boys followed Gerard through the stacks of records and down a back staircase that lead to the breakroom. It was fairly small, and contained nothing but a medium sized fridge, sink, a few cupboards, and a couch along with a few other lonely chairs. Gerard flopped onto the couch, stretching out as Mikey and Frank pulled up to chairs. Gerard sat up then, now looking at them.

“In all seriousness, I know this is a big deal. For both of you, of course, but especially for you,” Gerard started, pointing at Frank. Frank simply nodded, and looking at the corner of the couch rather than directly in his eyes. Gerard let out a slight sigh, shaking his head.

“It really isn’t like that, though. We can negotiate. I know how hard it can be to make rent each month. Jobs are shit around here. So, you just let me know what you are comfortable with, and I’ll be happy to help.” He leaned back and looked at the two, resting his head on his hands that were casually behind his head. Frank shot a look over to Mikey, who jerked his head in a ‘well, just name your price already’ sort of way. Frank cleared his throat.

“Uh, well,” He stumbled over his words, still avoiding direct eye contact with the being in front of him. He wasn’t going to lie—Gerard was intimidating. He wasn’t all the shy smiles and blushed cheeks he got for the split second up in the record stacks. He had an air of confidence to him that weighed on Frank’s shoulders like a ton of bricks—totally something he wasn’t used to.

“Okay, I’m going to stop you right there,” Gerard said, uncrossing his legs and leaning in. “I know rent is $500 a month a piece, so here’s what we’ll start off with. I pay $250, you pay $250. And if you need me to pay more, you just ask. Sound good, Frankie?” He watched as Frank’s eyes skated around, desperately trying to avoid eye contact with him. But, it was inevitable with how the close the two were, so he eventually gave in and just looked at him.

Frank’s breath caught in his throat as Gerard smirked at him curiously. The most Frank could give him was a nod, leaning back in his seat in an attempt to make more space between them. Gerard bit his lip, doing the same and re-crossing his legs.

“Great!” Mikey said, clapping his hands and getting up quickly, pushing his chair back into its original position. Before Frank had time to register what was happening, he was being pulled up by the hood of his jacket and out of his chair. His eyes transferred over to look at Mikey, whose face was twisted in a nervous and uncomfortable expression. “Well, thank you Gee. Really. It’s helping us out a lot, but we have to go now. Bye!”

He started dragging Frank out, who looked back at Gerard. His face seemed bewildered, and what Frank could only read as saddened. He rose from the couch quickly, only taking a few steps in their direction.

“Well, at least give him my number, Mikey!”

“Sure thing!” Mikey called, not even looking back at his brother before walking out of the store. Frank looked at him with a dazed expression flooding his face. Why the fuck was he acting so weird all of the sudden?

The ride home was just as awkward as the scene Mikey had made while exiting the antique store. The pair, who usually found it hard to stop talking, sat in utter silence until they got into their shared apartment. Mikey hung his keys on the hook right beside the front door and quickly slinked off to his bedroom, Frank hot on his trail.

The taller boy flopped on his bed before looking up to see Frank, arm’s crossed and his face red. He knew that he had not only made the interaction uncomfortable, but also didn’t really give them time to even properly talk to each other. Mikey had successfully kept Gerard like a hidden secret from Frank for years, and he felt like that was all crashing down. It wasn’t that he wanted to hide him—he absolutely adored his brother. He was his best friend next to Frank, and the two were very close. But, he had his reasons to keep the two distanced that he really didn’t prefer to tell anyone about.

“Dude, what the _fuck_ was that?” Frank huffed, his voice coming out agitated as he watched his roommate roll over on his bed and shrug. “You barely even let me talk to the guy!”

“Frankie, please just give me a minute before you turn all prissy-princess on me.” Mikey said, rubbing his eyes before propping himself up on his hands. It was evident that Frank wasn’t budging until Mikey gave him at least half an explanation as to what happened at the shop.

“Well?”

“Dude. I know Gerard. He is my brother. I have grown up with him for the past 23 years. I just—God, this is so fucking hard.” He raked a hand through his hair, giving Frank a pleading look.

“I really don’t see what you are hinting at. Am I really that bad?”

Now Frank was just being petty. Another thing he hated was feeling like someone’s “secret.” Growing up as a gay kid in a catholic school was far from magical, and he had his fair share of experiences where he had to keep his mouth shut about boyfriends and one-night stands because if anyone found out, all parties involved would probably be subjected to some horrific tier of penance in form of corporal punishment and a never-ending ear full from any religion teacher, nun, or priest that passed them in the halls. So, as soon as he graduated, he swore that he would never subject himself to having to be hidden ever again, whether that be as a friend or more. He loved Mikey, obviously, but God was it annoying that he wouldn’t just spit it out already.

“Jesus, no! Just—he isn’t the type of person to be close with people. It isn’t like him. I can tell within the first few minutes of him meeting someone new if he is going to push them away or cling to them. He’s going to cling to you, man. I know it. I just…I’m just scared.” Mikey watched as Frank lowered his eyes, his face now just a wash of confusion.

“Okay, and? It’s just one more friend, it’s not that b—”

“Frank. I. Know. Him. Just, please, I’m begging you. Be careful.” He leaned over to his bedside table and grabbed a sticky note along with a pen. He quickly scribbled something down before folding it up and handing it to Frank. “That’s his number. You will need it, okay?”

Frank stared at him, his mind jumbled all over the place. He offered him a slow and steady nod before whispering a quiet, “Thanks,” and leaving the room. He immediately went to his room and shut the door behind him, slumping against the wall.

Now he was just freaked out. Was Gerard some sort of obsessive serial killer that would kidnap Frank if they became too close? Was he…God, Frank couldn’t even think. He just had the images of Gerard flashing through his head. His stupid smirk that played at the corners of his upturned mouth, and that shy smile that snuck onto his face just for a split second before the mix of confidence sprinkled with a tinge of arrogance overtook his demeanor.

It’s his best friend’s brother, Frank. He’s off limits, c’mon man.

He shook his head and heaved a sigh, deciding he should probably send Gerard a text to get the number in his contacts and allow the latter to do the same. He shimmied off his jacket and hung it on the back of his desk chair before flopping onto his bed and pulling out his phone.

He opened his text messages and entered the new number, at a little lose as to what to text first. Why was this so weird for him?

He settled with a simple “ _Hey, this is Frank_ ,” not expecting to get a response almost immediately.

“ _Iero?_ ” Gerard texted back, which caused Frank to scoff slightly.

“ _No, Sinatra_.”

“ _Ha, Mikey told me you’re a little asshole ;)_ ”

Frank blushed slightly, chewing on his lip as he looked toward the door. He knew that Mikey never shared much about Gerard ever, but he wondered if the same was true the other way around. He knew the Way Brothers were probably as close as two siblings could possibly be, so he was almost certain that Mikey did not spare any of the gory details when it came to Frank.

“ _Nothing is sacred between you two, huh?_ ”

“ _Nope._

_I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk more. Mikes seemed to be in a rush._ ”

“ _It’s alright._ ” Frank was really at odds here. He really did want to get to know Gerard better. Hell, the guy is paying half of his rent. The least he can do is get to know him on a somewhat personal level. But, on the other hand, Mikey seemed extremely apprehensive with the idea of the two getting close. As much as he respected Mikey and firmly believed that the kid was smarter than him in multiple ways, he decided that he could make this decision himself.

“ _We can go get coffee tomorrow._

_If you’re free._

_And want to, of course._ ”

“ _Quadruple texter? Wow._

_I would love to. How’s 2:30 pm?_ ”

Frank looked over at the piece of paper hung up on his wall that contained his work schedule. He worked the night shift tonight, which meant he would get done around 9 in the morning. He could come home, sleep until 1:30, and then go meet Gerard. Okay, yeah. That will work.

“ _Sounds great. I’ll see you at the Shiny Bean tomorrow, then?_ ”

“ _Mhm, it’s a date. ;D”_

Frank read he last text message and locked his phone, placing his hands on his chest. Yeah. This is fine.

This is totally fine.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey all!!
> 
> I hope you are all enjoying this pic as much as I enjoy writing it! I'm super in love with this concept and can't wait for the story to take off more!
> 
> as always, I would super appreciate if you left comments & kudos! also, don't be afraid to share!! i love getting my stuff out there ((:
> 
> if you have any suggestions, critiques, or just well wishes, feel free to leave them in the comments, or you can talk to me on twitter! I'll put my username below.
> 
> enjoy!!
> 
> -xox
> 
> twitter: ftwillzmobile

If Frank had to see one more can of tomato soup, he would scream.

He spent the past hour marking down prices in the canned goods aisle, because apparently by making Lima beans 74 cents, they would automatically become less disgusting and sell better. When he was about what he imagined was 1,000 cans in, he discovered tomato soup dripping down the shelf from three bursted cans pushed toward the very back.

To avoid having a mental breakdown due to fucking soup, Frank stormed into the employee area and out the back door. He leaned against the wall near the large dumpster, pulling out his pack of cigarettes. He placed one of the sticks between his lips, savoring the first drag once it was lit.

His mind kept drifting back to Gerard, more specifically the fact that he was going to meet him that day without Mikey. It felt wrong in a sense. He knew that Mikey would end up finding out that they went for coffee, either from Frank or Gerard, and it would start a woe-is-me shit show where Mikey ignored him almost completely for three days before talking to him again.

Almost.

He thought “almost” because he still would probably offer him breakfast and dinner, and would still pass him cups of coffee or cans of Red Bull. No matter how angry he was, they couldn’t deny each other that.

But Frank really couldn’t put his finger on why Mikey hid his older brother from him for so long. Sure, he probably worried that Frank would make it some sort of challenge to get with him, but that was too low even for Frank’s standards, who is always constantly looking for new opportunities to fuck with Mikey.

Gerard was nice. Gerard was…well, he seemed different. And frankly, he wondered how he ever got anything done. If he worked three jobs, he must have absolutely no life. How was that even possible? Art he can do at home, sure, and he works at the antique shop mostly on the weekends, but what about his accounting shit? Didn’t have to go into an office for that? He surely couldn’t do b—

“Frankie!”

“Jesus-fucking-Christ!” Frank spat, jumping and almost dropping his cigarette on the ground. Frank’s dramatic motions were met with the howling laughs of Ray, who was sitting perched on the steps right outside the backdoor. “How long have you been there, Toro?”

“I was out here way before you, you just didn’t notice.” He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets and nudging a rock with his foot. He looked back up at Frank, a curious look spreading across his face. “What were you thinking about?”

“What?”

“What were you thinking about? You were so deep in thought that you didn’t even hear me say hi, so I’m assuming it must be a pretty big deal. Well, whatever it is…” He mumbled, beckoning Frank to sit next to him.

Frank eyed him up and down, not really knowing if he should ask Ray about Gerard. Ray had known both the Way brothers since he was fourteen, having attended high school with Gerard. Now 27, he had plenty experience dealing with the two, and even ended up meeting Frank through Mikey. The two hit it off right away, bonding over their love for guitar and the mutual friendship with the youngest Way sibling. Hell, Ray is the reason he even got a job at the stupid supermarket. He’s probably the most trustworthy out of them all, but he also knew a lot more than Frank did. So, he simply just shrugged and followed suit.

“Well, first off, I don’t think it’s necessarily cool that you scared me like that. It’s pitch-black out and for all that I know, you could’ve been a killer. I could’ve _died_.” Frank shot at him in an exacerbated tone, bringing his hand up to his own chest. Ray simply gave him a blank glare.

“You’re deflecting, Frank.” He crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. Frank sighed heavily.

“Fuck, you can read me like a book.” He grumbled before taking one last drag from his cigarette and throwing it to the ground. It would be easier just for him to bite the bullet and spit it out already. “So, I am meeting Gerard for coffee today.”

A silence set between the two, Ray’s eyes widening slightly as he watched Frank. Frank shifted uncomfortably from where he sat, his eyes now shifting to the ground. Maybe it was a bad idea to have told him. It wasn’t like he would go and snitch on him to Mikey, but there was the famous tension of “Ray-Toro-Is-Silently-Judging-You” in the air.

“Oh yeah? Does Mikey know?” Ray asked, his expression almost unreadable.

“No, of course not. He acted super weird yesterday when we met. I barely even got to talk to him.” Frank felt the bitterness seeping in at the edges of his words, realizing that he was a little upset with how Mikey was acting about the whole thing. It wasn’t like Frank was five: he was almost 22 and could make his own decisions, and sure as hell could be friends with whoever he wanted.

“You know he’s going to be pissy once he finds out, right.”

“You don’t need to lecture me, Mama Bear.” Frank grumbled, pulling his legs up to his chest.

Ray heaved a sigh, shaking his head and scooting closer to the younger boy. “I’m not going to lecture you. I think you’ll like each other, and in complete honesty, you need to know the dude if he’s helping pay for your rent.”

“My point exactly!” Frank exclaimed, looking over at Ray. “I just—I don’t get it. You’ve known them for like…13 years now. Why is Mikey so weird about me meeting him? Is he a serial killer or something?”

“God—no.” Ray chuckled, leaning his head back against the cold brick, watching his breath frost and dissipate into the air. “He’s just…he’s different, Frankie. Mikey probably told you the same thing, but Gerard doesn’t like people. But he _will_ like you. I know it.”

Frank peered over at Ray, trying to figure out what he meant. He hated how everyone was being so vague. What do they mean that Gerard doesn’t like people? How would he be able to tell that Gerard liked him?

“Look, Frank. I know Gerard, and I know you. You, my friend, always like to make challenges for yourself. We all know this. Don’t make this one of your challenges.” Ray deadpanned, now looking directly at Frank.

Frank felt his heart stop in his chest. He didn’t want to say that he had a reputation. It was more of a ‘shtick’ that stuck with him since high school. He’d meet a guy and try and get with him—simple enough. It didn’t seem very harmful, but it almost always turned sour. He hadn’t had the best luck with them being great guys, either. No matter how hard Frank tried, he always ended up getting attached. He simply didn’t know how not to.

“I won’t. I promise.” Frank murmured, still looking Ray in the eyes. The elder gave him a steady glance, one that indicated that he didn’t know that he completely trusted him: one that hinted towards fear rather than comfort. Before Ray even had the chance to respond, the back door swung open abruptly and the two were met by their seething manager.

“Look, you two. I don’t want to be here just as much as you do. It is literally three in the morning. So, get your asses back inside so that we can get our shit done and get out of here as soon as humanly possible. _Please_.”

The door latched shut as he walked away, signaling to Ray and Frank that it was safe to burst out into a fit of plaughter. It was a typical response from Brain; he did this practically every time they went on a smoke break during their shifts. Deciding it would be in their best interest to listen to him, both stood up and went back into the mostly vacant building, Frank lulling behind Ray.

As he made his way back to clean up the exploded soup in the canned goods aisle, Frank kept thinking back to what Ray had said outside.

“Don’t make him one of your challenges…” He mumbled, staring at the partially dried tomato soup that ran down the shelves. “Yeah, okay. Don’t do that.”

With a heaving sigh, he went to retrieve some cleaning supplies, just looking forward to the end of his shift and his meeting with Gerard.

*

Frank was a lot more nervous than he should have been. His palms were sweaty and his leg bounced wildly as he sat at one of the tables in the coffee shop, waiting for Gerard to arrive.

He felt like he was doing something wrong. Like he was a teenager sneaking a boy into his house through his bedroom window, hoping to God his parents didn’t notice. But, that’s not what this was. This was coffee and conversation, not making-out and fucking.

Frank’s head shot over to the door every time the bell sounded off in hopes of it being Gerard. It was already 2:47 pm and Frank was starting to get worried. He supposed it didn’t really matter, but he would feel like absolute shit if he—well, got “stood up,” for lack of a better term. He was no stranger to the feeling, but _man_ did it suck every time that it happened. It was one of those things that never got easier, no matter how many times it happened.

But, not sure if it was to his relief or dismay, in stormed Gerard with his red hair sticking out in every which direction. His jacket was thrown on in a careless manner with a scarf tied lightly around his neck. He, in short, looked disheveled. His eyes took a minute to scan the shop before finally landing on Frank, who offered him a small smile and half-wave. Gerard’s mouth turned from a thin, determined line into a wide and toothy grin. He straightened his jacket slightly before walking over and sitting in the seat across from Frank, folding his hands on the table.

“I’m so sorry, honey, I totally lost track of the time.” He apologized as he shrugged off the jacket and placed it on the back of the chair. Frank understood, of course. It was only the build-up that had him worried, now that Gerard was actually here, he was way more relaxed. Still completely nervous ad slightly embarrassed by the pet-name he had just called him, but relieved that he had actually shown up.

“Don’t worry about it,” Frank offered, smiling slightly. “Were you at work?”

Gerard seemed to stop in his tracks when Frank said that. He looked at him with wide eyes before laughing nervously and nodding, running a hand through his wild hair.

“Uh, yeah. Sure—was. Had to stay a little, um, later, than I had expected…” He trailed off, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth and avoiding Franks eyes. A slight silence began to form between the two as Frank nodded, taking in the fact that Gerard’s heir seemed to change as soon as the question was asked. It was very odd to watch the man in front of his change from being a confident, almost arrogant, person into a stuttering mess that couldn’t even look you in the eye. These slips in character were always small, and could almost be missed if you weren’t necessarily looking for them, but Frank remembered how he shyly smiled at him yesterday, and that was enough for him to be intrigued.

Frank was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Gerard’s hands clapping together. His face was turned back into a smirk, the shy persona fizzling away just as fast as it had come on.

“Let’s get some coffee, yeah?”

So, the pair got in line and ordered themselves two cups before wandering back to their table. The coffee shop was odd to say the least. While in line, Gerard had informed Frank that it actually used to be a funeral home before turning away from the mortuary business and trying their hand in coffee. Not that it was run by the same people—or maybe it was. Who was to say?

The coffee was delivered to the table in mere minutes after they had ordered: just enough time for Gerard to go outside to smoke a cigarette as Frank sat awkwardly by himself. Gerard smiled delightedly when he saw the steaming cup waiting for him upon his return. He hummed softly as he sat down, picking up the cup and immediately taking a sip.

“I’m glad we finally met. It only took two years.” Frank said as he peered down at the table, his own fingers dancing around the saucer that his cup sat on. His gaze flickered back up to Gerard who nodded, looking directly at Frank.

“I agree. I’ve heard a lot about you, Frankie.” Gerard teased, leaning back in his chair as he examined the younger man’s face. Frank shifted in his seat and swallowed his coffee uncomfortably, nodding his head. Gerard’s stare was piercing, and he wasn’t sure if he was judging him or if that was simply how he looked at everyone.

“All good things, I hope.” He mumbled as he wrapped his arms around himself. He knew he annoyed Mikey often, and Gerard probably knew all about it. If Frank were to take a guess, Gerard’s gauge of him solely based on Mikey’s descriptions probably boiled down to him being a loud, energetic asshole that occasionally did stuff that resembled a thoughtful sentiment.

“Of course! Well…mostly.” Gerard said in a sort of smug tone. He looked proud of himself, like he was enjoying watching Frank squirm in discomfort. “I hope you can say the same about me.”

“Actually, I know essentially nothing about you.”

Gerard’s face dropped at this. His smirk faded and pushed his lips up in a twisted manner toward the right side. He nodded and sighed, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table.

“Figures. Mikey doesn’t really like when I “take his friends.” It’s a little sibling thing, I guess.”

Frank could tell he was a little disappointed by this. I mean, who wouldn’t be? But he knew Mikey, and he knew he didn’t have any bad intentions with his actions—that’s just how he was.

“Yeah, maybe it is.” Frank agreed in an attempt to salvage the mood, trying not to make this conversation very depressing. “Hey, what do you even do at your accounting job?”

Gerard stared at him wearing the same wide-eyed expression he had when Frank had brought up his job earlier. The corners of his mouth tugged upwards slightly as a bright blush started to dust the apples of his cheeks, allowing his hair to fall in front of his face as his gaze averted to his lap.

“C’mon, I’m not at work, man. I don’t want to talk about it.” He said, his voice shaking slightly as he quickly took another gulp of his coffee. Frank watched him, the tables flipped now that Gerard was the one squirming in his seat and the younger one sat comfortably, almost examining him. “It’s not that interesting, I promise you. Just…just taxes, and…other stuff like that.”

This answer seemed to satisfy Frank, so he let it go.

The pair spent another hour and a half together, the atmosphere warming up as soon as Frank brought up the topic of comic books. Gerard’s face lit up immediately and the two babbled, even slightly bickering, about which comic book series was the best. They talked about everything from music to horror movies, sharing bright smiles and soft laughter as they went on and on.

Once they had finished their second cups of coffee, they decided that they should leave to allow more customers in the small coffee shop, so they bundled back up and went to brace the cold. They walked side by side, watching as their breath steamed in the air as they talked quietly. Before they had known it, they had shown up on the doorstep of the antique store Gerard worked at. Gerard walked in first, sounding off the tiny bell that sat near the top corner of the door frame as he held it open for Frank. They were greeted by the same old man that had been sitting at the front desk yesterday.

“Hey, Gerry! What are you doing here on your day off?” He inquired, a sweet smile shining from the corners of his wrinkled mouth. Frank smirked as he watched Gerard’s face twist at the nickname, huffing slightly.

“Just showing a friend around, Mr. Kelly.” He murmured, faking a smile before ushering Frank into another section.

Once they were out of the elder’s sight, Frank bursted into a fit of laughter. He clutched his stomach as he laughed dramatically at Gerard’s furrowed eyebrows, his face getting increasingly red by the second.

“God—Gerry! That’s rich!” He howled, holding his side that was starting to form a stitch from laughing so hard.

“Shut up!” Gerard whined as he crossed his arms over his chest, angrily blowing at a strand of red hair that had fallen in front of his face. He narrowed his eyes at Frank, twisting his mouth at him again. “Of course the one thing Mikey told you was the Gerry thing.”

“Gerry! Oh, Gerry!” Frank sang slightly, waving fingers at him as he walked backwards in a teasing manor. Gerard couldn’t help but smirk at his actions, the shorter boy biting his lip as he turned around and started looking at the antiques surrounding him.

The antique shop had objects covering it from ceiling to floor. They had everything you could possibly imagine—typewriters, old army jackets, cuckoo clocks—way too much to get through in just a day. But, the two managed. They spent another hour generally browsing, talking softly to each other about some of the items and snickering as they made off hand jokes.

They finished their visit by searching the record stacks. Gerard knew them like the back of his hand, so he started pulling out records to offer Frank. Frank stared in awe at all of the genres and artists they had, his eyes seeming to light up like a kid during the holidays. Frank became especially excited when Gerard had pulled out a single, “Halloween,” by the Misfits. He practically squealed and snatched the small record from Gerard’s hands, marveling at it.

“Is this an _original print_?” Frank whispered, his fingers brushing over the sealed cover. Gerard smiled and nodded, leaning back on the shelf as he watched Frank.

“Do you want it?”

“Well, duh. I fucking love the Misfits, and I—”

“It’s yours.” Gerard answered simply. Frank’s eyes immediately left the record, boring into Gerard. His face wore an unreadable emotion, one that sat between confusion, anger, and happiness (if that was even possible.) It was already established that Frank hated feeling like he was relying on people, and this seemed to fuel that fire slightly. He shook his head slightly, tugging his bottom lip back into his mouth.

“Gerard, y’know I don’t actually want to just take all your money, right? Because I fucking hate that shit.” Frank spoke, slowly starting to put the record back where Gerard had got it. Gerard’s eyes widened and he shook his head wildly, waving his hands at Frank.

“Jesus Christ, that’s not what I meant. I know that, trust me. I just…” He trailed off, his mouth slightly ajar as he looked at Frank, as if he would gain the words by just looking at him. Frank raised a questioning eyebrow at him, waiting for his response. Gerard sighed.

“I just like you, man. You’re cool, and I wish we had become friends earlier. I just wanted to do something nice, y’know?” He spat out, bringing a hand to his head to scratch at his hair. Frank’s face softened as he listened to him, leaning against the stack opposite of Gerard. He let a moment of silence form between them, a smirk growing on his face.

“…so you think we’re friends?” He teased, smiling widely at Gerard. The latter brought his gaze up to look at Frank, the corners of his mouth tugging up before he playfully punched Frank’s shoulder.

“Asshole,” He chuckled before tugging on his jacket sleeve. “C’mon, get your record and let’s go.”

So, Frank took the record to the front desk and Gerard payed for it. It wasn’t much money at all, but it was just the act of someone going out of their way to purchase something for him that made Frank both uncomfortable and giddy at the same time. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was definitely a new feeling.

The two exited the shop before Frank decided that he should head home and get some more rest before he headed back into work that night. Gerard walked Frank to the train station, stopping just outside the turnstiles.

“I had a great time.” Gerard said, smiling softly at Frank as he chuckled, nodding his head and looking toward his feet.

“I did too.” Frank agreed. He looked up at Gerard, squinting his eyes slightly as he shoved his hand in his pockets, the bag that contained his record dangling from the crease in his arm. “Y’know, I wish we had met sooner too. We should hang out again.”

Gerard beamed at him, nodding slightly. “I’d like that a lot, Frankie.”

Frank watched as Gerard’s eyes danced over his face, a smirk growing slightly on the latter’s face.

“Totally.” He whispered, goosebumps slowly creeping down the back of his neck. Gerard’s eyes felt like they were burning holes in Frank’s skin, and he couldn’t tell why. He was almost embarrassed, being watched like that. Not in a bad way, but not used to all the attention being put on him.

The pair exchanged a set of quiet goodbyes before going their separate ways. Frank sat on the train, now feeling strangely alone now that he wasn’t with Gerard. His brain kept screaming at him, “ _what the fuck was that, what the fuck was that, why did he call you Frankie, what the fuck was that,_ ” but he chose to brush it to the side and not pay it much mind. He closed his eyes as he leaned his head back, feeling the exhaustion sweep over his body.

He almost fell asleep and missed his stop, stumbling off the train in a groggy manor while looking toward the dimming sunlight. He trudged home, just wanting to crawl into his bed and fall back asleep before having to head back to the hellhole that was his place of employment. As soon as he opened the door, though, he was met by Mikey, who was sitting at the dinner table, a surprisingly calm look on his face. Frank groaned.

“I can’t deal with you right now.” He said, walking past him and immediately beelining towards his bedroom.

“I just wanted to ask how it went, drama queen!” Mikey called out, getting up and following him into his bedroom. Frank was already on his bed, planted face first in his pillows. Mikey leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms over his chest, watching as Frank lifted his head to look at him.

“Do you want the half-truth, or the full truth?” He said, flipping onto his side so he could see him a little bit better. Mikey rolled his eyes, as if to say ‘that was a stupid question, Frank. Stop being so cryptic.’ Frank smiled. “It was fucking awesome, Mikes. I don’t know why you kept us from each other for so long. We get along so well, and we like a lot of the same shit, and we just—”

Frank was cut off by Mikey just nodding his head and walking away. No explanation, no words, not even a ‘fuck you.’ He just walked away. Frank sat up in confusion. He thought of going after him to argue, but decided he was too tired to even care. So, he just laid down and drifted off to sleep.

Frank woke up just forty minutes before his shift, quickly getting dressed and hurrying off to the supermarket. He assumed his chores of restocking the almost completely empty store, running into Ray while he was walking through the chip aisle. Ray was huddled over a few boxes of different Pringles cans, only looking up after hearing Frank clear his throat. Frank beamed at him and waved almost wildly. Ray’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a second, looking Frank up and down before a look of understanding seemed to wash over his face. Ray offered Frank a sad smile, waving back slightly before redirecting his attention back to the Pringles.

Frank waltzed away, dancing and humming as he walked down the different aisles. He didn’t really understand why Ray had given him that look, but in all honesty, he couldn’t be bothered to care right now. He simply went back to work, humming the riff in “Halloween” to himself as he thought about Gerard the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaanndd we are getting closer to finding out what Gerard actually does!! It's going to happen the next chapter so ((;
> 
> As always, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, kudos, and if you're feeling gracious, share this!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -xox

Frank, of course, was right about Mikey ignoring him. It was a typically cold stand like always; no talking except for the murmured ‘thank you’s and ‘you’re welcome’s that came with meals and cups of coffee. It only lasted for three days, but to Frank it seemed to have lasted ten minutes

Since their meeting at the coffee shop, Gerard and Frank talked constantly, and Gerard started coming over to the apartment that Frank and Mikey shared. Mikey would walk in, expecting to find Frank passed out in his bed or high out of his mind, watching some weird movie on the couch, but instead, be greeted by his older brother sitting on the kitchen counter, his feet swinging happily as Frank was hunched over the stove, making some sort of concoction that involved noodles and some sort of vegetarian artificial chicken paste.

The occurrences came more and more often, and sure, Mikey was ecstatic to see his older brother, but not when he was making googly-eyes at his roommate every time he was around. He found him batting his eyelashes and laughing in and overly dramatic manor, hunching over and resting a hand on Frank’s arm. Mikey scrunched his face and turned away, almost painful to watch.

On one instance when Gerard and Frank were watching a movie on the couch, Mikey found him resting his head on Frank’s should as the younger boy drifted into sleep. Mikey immediately went over, standing in front of the T.V. and crossing his arms, making sure he was blocking his older brother’s view. Gerard whined, waving a hand at him lazily.

“Mikes, could you please move? This is like, the best part of the entire franchise.” He grumbled, shifting in an attempt to see the screen. Mikey furrowed his brows and cleared his throat slightly, causing Gerard to look up and finally meet his eyes.

“Dude, what are you _doing_?” He yelled in a hushed voice, it coming out more urgent than anything. Gerard raised a questioning eyebrow at him, sitting up so he was no longer leaning on Frank.

“Watching a movie. What does it look like?”

Mikey groaned, covering his face with both of his hands before dragging them down.

“While leaning on him like he’s a fucking tree? C’mon, Gee. Don’t do that to the poor kid.”

Gerard’s eyes widened at his words before narrowing quickly. He brought a hand up to his chest and scoffed, scooting closer so he was now sitting on the edge of the couch cushion.

“I’m not doing _anything_. You always assume that I’m up to some sort of weird shit, God forbid I actually have a friend. It’s been literally a month, Mikey. Stop being weird.” The older brother snapped, hurt flooding his face as soon as the words fell from his lips.

Of course Mikey felt guilty. He loved his older brother, and they really were inseparable. But he couldn’t help but feel uneasily about the growing relationship between his roommate and Gerard. He knew that things like this always ended like a bomb—messy and with at least someone hurt. He didn’t want to see the two people he was closest to be destroyed because of one little decision that could go south quicker than either of them would ever know.

So, Mikey just sighed and sat next to his brother, pulling him into a hug. Gerard let out a few distressed huffs before calming down and hugging him back.

“I’m sorry,” Mikey whispered, “I just don’t want either of you to get hurt.”

Gerard nodded, pulling away and looking at his lap.

“I know.” He murmured, a sense of knowing in his voice. He knew how this could end up. It could go either one of two ways: Frank and him had a lovely relationship with absolutely no complications other than the average fights that friends have, or they could start something very impulsive and messy, which usually never turned out good. Unfortunately, both were accustomed to the latter.

That didn’t stop either of them from hanging out, though. Instead of bothering Mikey with the ever-looming presence that was their budding relationship, the two resorted to hanging out at Gerard’s apartment.

Gerard’s apartment was a three-bedroom space, complete with a full bathroom, kitchen, and appliances; In short, it was way nicer than anything Frank was used to. The three rooms were all occupied by different things: Gerard’s bedroom, his office in which he kept all of his art work, and a guest bedroom Frank had never been in before, for the door was always closed. This fact made Frank question what was in the room, because if it was truly just a bedroom, why was it that big of a deal?

Nonetheless, Frank and Gerard spent many afternoons in Gerard’s living room, watching movies they had seen hundreds of times and listening to music on the older boy’s record player. Frank had a tendency to sit back on the couch and watch Gerard dance around the living room, a little smirk on his face as he watched him flip his red hair from side-to-side and his hips sway to the beat of the music. He would cheekily dance with his back turned to Frank before turning around and using a finger to beckon him off the couch. And, truthfully, Frank never got tired of it. He could watch him for hours and never get bored.

One day, after an impromptu dance party, the pair flopped back onto the couch in a fit of pants and giggles. Frank rested his head on Gerard’s lap, chuckles bubbling up like hiccups in between his lazy attempts of getting his breath back. Gerard peered down at him, his chest heaving slightly in a similar manner as he grinned down at Frank. Both met each other’s gaze and immediately fell into a swell of silence, though it was almost deafening. Frank’s cheeks were still rosy from dancing around like an idiot just moments prior, but now they were growing a deeper red as he watched Gerard’s eyes flutter over his face. Without even really noticing, Gerard hesitantly raised a shaky hand up to Frank’s head, slowly stroking his hair. Frank’s eyes fluttered shut, a small smile growing on his face as he melted into the older man’s touch.

Gerard relaxed back into the soft plush of hair couch’s cushions while continuing to play with Frank’s hair mindlessly. The silence between the two was now comfortable, the odd tension from just seconds prior seeming to have fizzled into nothingness. They sat like this for a while, the only sound filling the room being their gentle breaths.

That is, until Frank turned onto his side to look up at Gerard, who had leaned his head back and rested it against the back of the couch. He brought a finger up and poked Gerard’s stomach, causing him to flinch and look back down at Frank.

“Yeah?”

“Gee, where do you work?” Frank inquired, now resting his head on his arm that was propped up on Gerard’s thighs. Gerard huffed and leaned his head back again, closing his eyes and waving a dismissive hand.

“At a place where accountants work.” He answered simply, his hands now rested non-chalantely behind his head. Frank, being the ever-stubborn person he was, sat up next to him on his knees, raising a questioning eyebrow at him.

“I mean it, dude. I want to know where you work. Is it on this side of town?” He pried, tugging slightly on Gerard’s arm, in hopes the older man would give in and stop being so difficult about his job. Truthfully, Frank thought it was fucking weird how Gerard avoided talking about it so much. After all, it was probably his most reputable job (by societies standards) out of all three, and probably brought in the most money. Yet, he still changed the subject every time it was brought up and would immediately become extremely irritably anytime people tried to learn more past surface level questions.

“Sure, Frank. It’s on this side of town. I _don’t_ find it interesting, and I _don’t_ want to talk about it with you.” Gerard snapped slightly, squeezing eyes shut even tighter than beforehand. Frank eyed him up and down, a million emotions running through his head. Gerard quickly opened his eyes back up, looking over and seeing how dejected Frank truly was. He widened his eyes and frowned, sitting up and scooting so he was now close to Frank again.

“Shit, Frankie. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.” He apologized, cupping Frank’s face in his hands. He ran a gentle thumb over his soft cheek, the heat from his blush radiating off of his skin. Frank pushed into Gerard’s touch as he closed his eyes, shaking his head and sighing softly.

“No, it’s okay. I know it stresses you out.” Frankie said softly, looking back at Gerard with sad eyes. Gerard offered him a tiny smile and pulled him in for a hug, embracing him gently. With a sigh, Frank buried his face in the crook of Gerard neck before taking a deep breath. The older boy giggled at the feeling of it fanning over and tickling his neck before Frank pulled away, a smile now ghosting his face.

“I’m gonna go pee, gimme a second.” Frank murmured, patting Gerard on the side of his arm before pulling away and heading down the hall. Gerard watched as his hips swayed until he was completely out of sight, sighing happily as he leaned into the cushions of the couch, his eyes fluttering shut.

In complete honesty, Gerard hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. He hadn’t been this close with a person besides Mikey and Ray for a good while now, but even this felt different. Frank made him feel, well, himself. Not that the others didn’t do that, but Frank had a special way of making Gerard feel light on his feet. He felt on cloud nine around the younger boy. Everything was more eventful and exciting with Frank around.

Gerard let his eyes flutter back open as Frank reentered the room, but he immediately sat up once he had gotten a good look at him. He had his arms crossed against his chest and an uncomfortable look on his face as he shifted from foot to foot. Gerard raised an eyebrow at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I really wasn’t trying to be nosey, Gee, but is there someone else living here? Like, a chick?” Frank started, and Gerard felt his heart drop straight into his stomach and swallowed thickly. His eyes went wide as he gaped at Frank, trying desperately to grasp at words to salvage himself.

“Why would you think that?” Gerard asked, trying to sound as smooth as possible, but came out more as a garbled mess of words. Frank shrugged and looked at his feet.

“Well, I saw the room that you always keep the door closed to and uh, not to be stereotypical but—” He cut himself off, waving his hands around. That was enough for Gerard to get what he was hinting at. The room that he never let Frank in had pastel pink walls, fairy lights sparkling towards the ceiling. One side of the room had a large bed against the wall, its comforter a light pink and a white canopy draped over the top. On the other wall was a flat-screen T.V. mounted, with a matching pastel dresser under it.

“Oh! That, it’s just a guest room.” Gerard brushed off, smiling at Frank as both a way of trying to ease the younger boy and also at the pride he felt at his ability to think so quickly on his feet. Frank seemed to look at him with understanding for a split second before his eyebrows furrowed again.

“What’s with the panties on the floor, then?”

Gerard’s cheeks immediately heated up as Frank’s eyes seemed to bore holes directly into his skin. He laughed nervously and brought a hand up to scratch his own hair, shaking his head.

“They’re my friend, Jamia’s. She left them here the other day when she slept over. She has to come and get them.”

Frank’s face fell, nodding his head. He hummed in an understanding tone before shuffling back over to the couch, careful to sit on the end that was farther from the other boy. Gerard gave him a steady look before turning the T.V. on and putting on a movie. The pair only got through about half of the movie before Frank decided to head back home.

“Aren’t you going to stay for dinner?” Gerard asked, following the shorter boy as he shrugged on his coat and shuffled his feet into his shoes.

“Uh, not today, Gerard. I know that Mikey was making dinner tonight and wanted me there, so…” He trailed off, looking away and raising his shoulders. Gerard nodded, biting at his bottom lip before opening the door for him. Frank started to head out, but turned back around at the sound of Gerard’s voice.

“Text me later, alright?” Gerard smiled slightly, a hopeful expression filling his face. Frank gave him a single nod before turning back around and heading down the hall. Gerard closed the door behind him before walking back over to couch, slumping down onto it.

He really hoped he didn’t fuck up their relationship. This couldn’t be the reason it got fucked up.

*

Ray and Mikey peered over in surprise when Frank walked through the door, his jacket drenched by the rain that was pouring down outside. He shut the door quickly behind himself, locking it as he still faced the wall. Ray and Mikey exchanged a quick glance as silence filled the apartment, the only sound being the muffled music coming from the radio.

“We weren’t expecting you to be home so early, Frankie.” Ray said, shifting in his seat at the dinner table. Mikey nodded in agreeance, leaning himself on his elbows so he could get a close look at him.

“Yeah…I just wanted to be home today, I guess.” Frank said softly as he finally turned around, looking over at the two. Ray’s eyes widened.

“Dude, were you _cryin_ g? What happened?” He squawked, watching as Frank just shrugged and started towards his bedroom. Ray gave Mikey a look before the younger jerked his head in Frank’s direction, signaling him to follow.

Ray followed Frank into his bedroom, closing the door behind them once they were both in the room. He turned around to be met by Frank with a quivering lip, tears beading at the corners of his eyes. Ray waved his hands wildly, quickly swooping over to pull him into an embrace.

“Hey, hey—” Ray cooed, shuffling them over to the bed as Frank softly sobbed into his shoulder. He sat both of them down, rubbing Frank’s back gently in an attempt to soothe him. “Calm down, let’s breath.”

Ray pried Frank from his shoulder and got him to start mimicking his breathing until he calmed down. His eyes were still puffy, and his cheeks were still stained from his tears, but he was no longer freaking out and had reduced his cries to soft sniffles. Ray smiled gently at him, his hand comfortingly on Frank’s shoulder as the smaller of the two picked mindlessly at his own fingers.

“Now, tell me what’s wrong.”

Frank looked up at Ray, a pained look on his face as his breathing started to pick its pace up again. Ray simply shook his head, taking a deep breath slowly in hopes that Frank would follow along. Once he stopped hyperventilating, Frank buried his face in his own hands.

“Gerard has a girlfriend.” Frank said through a faltered voice, choking back soft sobs. Ray raised an eyebrow at him, letting a slight smile creep onto his face. Frank looked up at him, furrowing his brows. “What’s so funny?”

“I have no idea where you got that idea from, but I can almost guarantee that’s not true.” Ray tried to say through giggles, shaking his head as Frank huffed.

“There were _panties_ on his floor, Ray. He said they were Jamia’s, whoever that is…” Frank mumbled. Ray stopped his chuckling and let out a sound of understanding, nodding his head.

“Jamia has been one of Gerard’s best friends since the eighth grade. I can assure you that she’s not his girlfriend,” Ray said, going back to rubbing Frank’s back as he curled his knees up towards his chest. “And, I’ll clue you in on a little secret: he’s not that straight, so you can cool it.”

Frank looked over at Ray with wide and hopeful eyes, sniffling slightly. Ray just smiled and nodded his head, watching as more tears started to leak down his cheeks.

“I think I like him, Ray.” Frank hiccupped before hugging him again. Ray hushed him and wrapped his arms back around again, nodding in an understanding manor.

“I know you do. It’s okay. You just have to be careful, alright?” Frank nodded his head as Ray pulled away, using his thumb to wipe at the tears on Frank’s face. “You can come write up some D&D characters with Mikey and I. We still have some pizza left, too.”

Frank waited for Ray to leave his room before changing out of his soaked clothes and into his pajamas. He padded out into the dining room before sitting at the table with Mikey, Ray, and a plate of pizza that they had waiting for him. The latter two immediately sucked him into the game, trying to pull his mind back into a good place. In all honestly, they hated to see their friend upset.

“…And the Bard, ever the realist about his mortality…cried over a pair of panties.” Mikey announced graciously, peaking over as Frank shot a look toward him. All three bursted into fits of laughter, hooting and hollering like they had just heard the funniest joke of all time.

And, for just that moment, Frank forgot about Gerard, and the fact that his heart was starting to swell at the mere thought of his existence.


End file.
